


Sanctuary

by disaster_imp



Series: Finding Home [2]
Category: Wiedźmin | The Witcher (Video Game)
Genre: Belleteyn (The Witcher), M/M, No beta we die like stregobor should have, Pining, Soft Lambert (The Witcher)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-30
Updated: 2020-11-30
Packaged: 2021-03-10 05:40:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,001
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27799366
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/disaster_imp/pseuds/disaster_imp
Summary: This was mostly written in 3 hours at dark o'clock on my phone while pain meds are making my brain fuzzy, the only thing I'm going to guarantee is it's soppiness.And typos. I'm leaving them in as evidence.Written forthisbeautiful luminous waterfall flash fiction prompt  and also as a one-shot not-exactly-a-prequel, but events prior to The First Time I Died.
Relationships: Aiden/Lambert (The Witcher)
Series: Finding Home [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2048962
Comments: 20
Kudos: 79
Collections: The Witcher Flash Fic Challenge #011





	Sanctuary

The deafening roar of the expansive waterfall is so loud that Aiden can't hear himself speak.

He can barely hear himself _think,_ which is even better.

The rocks in the area have a unique property, a way of storing light and releasing it again in the darkness. Lambert tried, once, to explain the phenomenon, but Aiden didn't want to know. Understanding the science would detract from its mystery. Later, when the sun sets, luminous beauty will light up the waterfall so the very water itself looks as if it is made from moonlight.

It might just be his favourite place on the continent, except for one important detail: Lambert isn't here yet.

He sets up camp in the usual spot. The top of a cliff, somewhat sheltered from the ever-present mist that lingers around the falls, the hazy miasma keeping everything in the vicinity damp. Dead wood, collected from the floor of a nearby grove of trees, is laid out in the sun to dry for the evening's fire.

Lambert isn't late, as such. They had arranged to meet today, as they did every Belleteyn. Usually they were both here by noon. _Usually_ , Lambert is here first. He's not worried, exactly. Lambert can take care of himself.

He's just… full of restless a energy that won't abate until he knows for certain that Lambert is _safe._ As much time as they try to soend together throughout the year, sometimes - for as long as their temperaments will allow - even walking the path together, tgis is the one time of year that Aiden holds sacred, just for Lambert. The only time they always meet, every year, an unspoken declaration of love, of commitment, of certainty in a world that isn't.

To keep himself busy, Aiden wanders the area, picking flowers and long grasses to weave into a crown for his lover. One of his masters had had a rather whimsical approach to herbology that included not only the useful medical and alchemical properties of plants and flowers, but also the various _meanings_ attributed to them. It was a frivolous lesson that' Aiden was glad to have learned, one of the few things that wasn't solely about _survival_. 

Bison grass for strength. Meadowsweet, for the beauty that takes Aiden's breath away, more and more each time they meet. Beauty Lambert doesn't know he possesses, and sometimes Aiden wishes Lambert could see himself through Aiden's eyes. Beautiful and strong, and with a heart still capable of so much love, in spite of the evil done to him.

Wild rose and honeysuckle for that love. Beggartick, a joining. Blowball, faithfulness. He hesitates. Should he? It's not like either of them are 'faithful' in the traditional sense while apart, and Lambert also has his wolf pack, and the bard, and Aiden knows he loves them deeply too, even if he's not fucking them. Even if he won't admit it. But _Aiden's_ heart is only ever going to belong to one person…

He keeps the blowball.

Nettle for protection, and to honour Lambert's prickly nature. Aiden smiles to himself. _Worth a little pain._ Verbena, with so many meanings. Romance and sweet memories, both things Lambert has selflessly, _surprisingly_ , given him. Creativity, something Lambert has in spades when it comes to fighting. Cat school styles didn't suit him any better than wolf school had - but _together,_ the man had created a style that was as chaotic as Lambert, and every bit as beautiful to watch.

Protection, healing and happiness, all things he desperately wants for his beautiful wolf. He picks all the verbena he can find - too much for one crown. Aiden doesn't care. He needs it _all_.

Wild carrot, otherwise known as Queen Anne's lace. _Sanctuary_.

Aiden's vision blurs and he puts a hand to his cheek to find it wet with tears. His chest, too full of emotions to contain them, is suddenly aching more deeply than the shoulder a kikimore had impaled decades ago doee during a storm.

He sits for a few minutes, letting the overwhelming emotions work their turbulent way through him like a flooding river. Cursing silently at the mutations that make his emotions so much harder to control, trying to appreciate that with the heightened emotions comes an incredible gift. 

_Lambert isn't here yet._

Wiping his tears away, Aiden dumps the pile of flowers next to his bedroll and strips off, scrambling down the cliff to the calm pool of water below. He strikes out with long, swift strokes toward the base of the waterfall, to the place where they had discovered a sheltered cavern a decade or so ago. 

The cavern is not often accessible - the falls are so high and strong that if there is enough spring rain, their power is too much for even a witcher to work their way past. Anyone who tried was pushed several feet below the surface with a powerful, battering force. Aiden fights the water for a good half-hour, burning off some of his pent-up energy in the futile task before giving up. Feeling more calm, he dives below the surface in search of a fish dinner.

Successful in his hunt, he swims back to the rocks, the warmth of the afternoon sun drying all but his tangled mane of thick black hair during his ascent. He makes the last push up and stands naked on top of the cliff, the raw fish dangling from his mouth, to see Lambert standing in front of him, hands on his hips, eyes sparkling with mirth. _Asshole._

Aiden promptly bursts into tears again, spitting his fish out and flinging himself into Lambert's arms, revelling in his presence, his strength, his warmth, his earthy scent _,_ his _reality._

Lambert strokes his hair, holding him close until the tears abate, and then kisses them away, one by one, and although he can't hear his wolf's voice over the roaring waterfall, the deep rumble in Lambert's chest tells him the only thing he needs to know.

He's loved. He's home.

_Sanctuary._

**Author's Note:**

> Hey so for anyone following either of my longfics, rest assured that the WIPs are still in progress!
> 
> The last month has just been one thing after another in terms of keeping me busy. Family, new job, training/study, volunteer stuff, sporadically reliable mental health, I don't know when to take a breath I guess. And just over a week ago, I broke my leg doing something suitably dramatic and it needed surgery. I'm fine (thank you, socialised health care), getting a lot of rest, but *points up to the mess of my brain on pain medication* writing that makes sense is going to have to wait a bit.
> 
> Thank you for reading, please yell at me in the comments! <3


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